


Flying

by eerian_sadow



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: Brothers, Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Making Sacrifices, Serious Injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-10-25
Updated: 2008-10-25
Packaged: 2018-09-21 19:43:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9563597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eerian_sadow/pseuds/eerian_sadow
Summary: Swoop is injured badly enough to lose his wings. He and the other Dinobots have to learn to cope.





	

**Author's Note:**

> this one if for [](http://ink-in-hand.livejournal.com/profile)[ink_in_hand](http://ink-in-hand.livejournal.com/), who wanted some Dinobot friendship fic. I swear that it started off that way in the planning stages; I didn’t mean for my sort-of closet Grimlock/Swoop ship to sneak in there like that.

It was a glorious thing to fly. To see the ground so far away and play in the clouds. The feel the air currents beneath strong wings and to fight against the wind and win. It was glorious to know that he alone among the Dinobots could fly—that it was an ability unique and special to him.

He wished he could share the skies with his brothers. A few flights in Skyfire had put that idea to rest fairly quickly—Sludge and Snarl were afraid of heights and Slag and Grimlock were only interested in flying because it would get them to the fighting faster. He loved his brothers, but he would never be able to share this wonderful gift with them.

He turned his thoughts away from the other Dinobots—flying was good for that, too—and to the studies he had been given by Ratchet and Perceptor. The medic and the scientist both insisted that Wheeljack hadn’t precisely designed the Dinobots to be stupid, he merely hadn’t programmed them to their full capabilities, and that they were capable of learning so much more than they had been given. Diligently, they were teaching Swoop the basics in their fields of knowledge, along with language and grammar, history and mathematics. Swoop didn’t understand why he needed to know these things, but some of it was interesting and the other Autobots didn’t treat him as if he were quite so stupid when he made an effort to speak “properly”.

And Wheeljack always had the happiest look whenever Swoop shared something he had learned. Ratchet said that the engineer was proud of his creation and was glad that Swoop was bettering himself.

Someday, he hoped that someone would explain what that meant.

He caught an updraft and let himself be pushed just a little higher. His confusion melted away with the wind, though he would remember to ask Ratchet his questions later. Swoop let his mind drift as he flowed with the air currents and let himself be at peace.

He squawked indignantly when the black and purple Seeker appeared in front of him out of nowhere. It was all he had time for before they slammed into each other.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Swoop was acutely aware that something was horribly wrong when he came online. A quick scan of his systems—something Ratchet would be proud of him for remembering to do—told him the bad news fairly quickly.

His wings were gone.

They weren’t just damaged and disconnected from his systems while Ratchet repaired them. They weren’t just overly damaged and not feeling right. His wings were completely gone, either ripped free in his crash into Skywarp or removed once he was brought to Ratchet’s medbay.

He gave a cry of distress that brought Ratchet to his side in an instant.

“Easy, Swoop.” The medic laid a gentle hand on his head. “You’re still pretty messed up. Don’t move around or you’ll make the damage worse.”

“Where wings?” the Dinobot demanded. “Why me Swoop have no wings?!”

“I’m sorry, Swoop. We had to pull you out of Skywarp’s landing gear in pieces and I couldn’t put them back together again. There just wasn’t enough left.”

Ratchet sounded so sorry that Swoop could almost believe that the medic understood how terrible an injury it really was. He still turned away so that Ratchet wouldn’t see the hurt on his face.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“Why you Ratchet say me Grimlock not allowed to see him Swoop?!” The Dinobot leader’s thundering rage brought him out of recharge as effectively as any base alert would have. Swoop had always come online quickly to the sound of Grimlock’s voice, no matter the circumstances.

“Because, you glitched pain in my aft, he doesn’t want any visitors!” Ratchet shouted back. Then he added, more softly, “He doesn’t even want me in there. I think maybe he’s ashamed for us to see him like this.”

“What ashamed mean?” Grimlock’s tone was quieter too, and laced with confusion.

“It means that he thinks we won’t like him anymore because of what he looks like. He thinks it will hurt us—and him, too—to see him when he’s so damaged.”

Swoop had to agree with that. He didn’t want the others to see what he’d been reduced to. He hated even having Ratchet in the room with him, even thought the medic was his only hope of being properly rebuilt.

“But me Grimlock want to see him Swoop.” Swoop couldn’t ever remember hearing the Dinobot leader’s voice sound so small.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“You Ratchet can let them Dinobots come see me Swoop,” he told the medic the next time he saw him. He still hurt, and he still hated that the others would see him like this, but he wanted to do anything he could to make Grimlock better.

It scared him that the other Dinobot was so upset about his condition.

“Are you sure you want that?” Ratchet paused in his careful examination of Swoop’s partially repaired damage. “I know you don’t really want them to see you like this.”

“Me Swoop want them Dinobots to see now and stop worrying. Him Grimlock start fights if him stay worried.”

“Grammar, Swoop,” the medic chided gently, returning to his work. “And I’ll tell them after I’ve fixed this wiring. It’ll need to be repaired so that I can put your wings back in.”

“Me Swoop…” he stopped, remembering Ratchet’s rebuke. “I don’t have wings.”

“Not right now, no. You don’t really think I’m going to leave you like this do you?”

“You Ratchet can give me Swoop new wings?” He didn’t want to get his hopes up, but it was so hard not to.

“Sure I can! Jack and I just have to find enough of the right metal to rebuild them.”

“Me Swoop can fly again?”

“Once the wings get installed, yes.”

Swoop turned so that he could see Ratchet’s face. The medic was grinning at him—and he couldn’t help but grin back.

He was going to be able to fly again.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“What do you mean? Why can’t you rebuild them?” If he concentrated on his grammar, Swoop could keep from screaming at Ratchet and Wheeljack the way he really wanted to. The medic had gotten his hopes up and was now dashing them into the ground by telling him that his wings couldn’t be rebuilt after all.

“I’m so sorry, Swoop,” Wheeljack said. “I told Ratchet we could do it, but there just aren’t enough of the right alloys left in the workshop for a full set. And if we use anything weaker, they won’t be able to hold your weight. I just…I’m sorry.”

Wheeljack’s obvious hurt penetrated Swoop’s anger and the Dinobot felt bad for his reaction. He knew it wasn’t his creator’s fault—his brothers were always getting hurt and needing repairs that used up the same metals his wings required.

But he was going to be denied the skies after all, it seemed.

“You Ratchet and you Wheeljack can make wings for him Swoop if have right parts?” The all turned surprised looks to the door of the medbay as Grimlock stepped into the room carefully. “Him Swoop fly and be happy again?”

“We don’t have the parts, Grimlock!” Ratchet shouted. When he realized he was yelling, the medic shook his head. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled—I’m just frustrated with this whole situation.”

“But you Ratchet have parts.” The Dinobot leader transformed into his root mode and tapped his chest. “Parts for him Swoop here.”

“Grimlock, what are you talking about?” Wheeljack asked.

“Him Ratchet can use parts from us Dinobots to fix him Swoop. Then him Swoop can be happy. Him Swoop not be…ashamed anymore.” Swoop couldn’t remember seeing Grimlock look so…timid. It was almost as if he was afraid that the medic would send him away.

“Grimlock…” the medic sighed. “I appreciate that you want to help Swoop, but if I take parts from the rest of the Dinobots to fix him, then your whole team is going to be out for a lot of battles while Wheeljack and I try to find something suitable to replace them with.”

“Me Grimlock let Dinobots miss rest of war if him Swoop get better. Us Dinobots do anything for him Swoop to get repaired.”

“That’s pretty serious,” Wheeljack said. “Are you sure this is really what you want?”

“Did you Wheeljack and him Ratchet get stupid? Me Grimlock already say this what Dinobots want!”

Swoop winced as the Dinobot leader shouted. Grimlock saw the action and immediately quieted.

“Me Grimlock sorry. Me Grimlock try to remember that Swoop and other Autobots not heal good if me Grimlock yelling.”

Swoop didn’t understand why, but Ratchet smiled at that. “It’s about time you remembered that. You go get the other Dinobots and Wheeljack and I will start figuring out what we can safely take from you. If we can’t do it safely, we aren’t going to do it.”

“Me Grimlock understand.”

Swoop found a smile as Grimlock was leaving the medbay.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

“Why you Swoop like this so much? Flying not special.”

Swoop adjusted his grip on Grimlock and angled himself so they could fly up just a little bit higher. He would show the Dinobot leader just how wonderful flying really was. And he would enjoy the fact that the larger mech was light enough for him to take flying like this for as long as it lasted.

“Hold on, Grimlock!” Was the only warning he gave the other Dinobot before he banked into a steep dive. He was proud of himself for remembering his proper grammar—but the freedom of the skies gave him the opportunity to think of such things.

Flying was a glorious thing.  



End file.
